My son's birthday is coming up. So I bought a couple of Supercheap Locos for him and am going to build him a layout. Since he's just turning 7 and this will be the first layout I've ever built, I want to keep things simple (a.k.a. doable). I hope this will be great fun for him and a good learning experience for me. I've built a low benchwork table that puts everything within reach of him. It also has a lip going all the way around the layout so the trains won't fall off. The layout space is 36"x57". The layout will be N scale, DC using Atlas Code 80 sectional track. My goal is to give him a long run with curves as wide as possible. Here's a track plan I've drawn up in Atlas RTS that uses 11" and 19" curves exclusively. Please let me know what you think.
Looks ok to me. I have never worked with children (or had any) but I as long as you are with him when he uses it you should be all set. I like the track plan.
Looks like it would have plenty of interest for him. However, I have two conerns as a parent/grandparent.... 1) will he be able to reach into the middle to retrieve crashed trains, and 2) will the bridge and its approaches be strong enough to withstand his hands, arms, and body as he (clumsily) reaches for the engine and cars? Please understand that I do NOT assume your son is clumsy, just that he is only 7. I've been there, done that, and repaired the consequences...often! :tb-ooh:
Thanks, I think I'm finally getting a feel for this program after srewing up a bunch of ideas. Clumsy? Nope, I understand what you mean completely. I have tested him with the benchwork and he can access everything fine. As far as the bridge and its approaches, I don't know. My son's not any more coordinated than any other 7 yr. old. But he is actually pretty careful with things and does not like to tear stuff up. Still, we'll see. I was planning on using an Atlas Warren Truss, but I also have a plate girder bridge I could use. The approaches will be made from plaster over Woodland Scenics 2% incline kits.
Sounds good. Of course the best lesson is to "break" something you really love, have it remain broken for a day or two, then be able to repair it yourself, with a little help from Dad of course, but not too much mind you. :tb-cool:
Mom: "Why is the toaster broken" Son: "I was trying to fix it" My understanding is Woodland scenics foam is easy to crush. It is the easyest solution but be aware you may have to replace it if it is leaned on. My other thought and I am sure you have considered it is to use Kato track.
That's a great one. We're not quite there yet. Right now it's, "Maybe daddy can fix it, if he can find parts..." I can easily see that. It looks like the same crappy polystyrene foam they use in ice chests, etc. It's expensive too. But I want the trains to run smoothly and don't want my lack of experience to screw up the grade. So I figured I'd bite the bullet and go with something that's been designed to work properly. That said, I did not buy any of the risers to put under it. The layout base will be 3/4" blue foam (I don't know where all you guys find thicker extruded foam. None of the local home improvement places where I am seem to carry it.). We'll have to see how the inclines hold up. Hopefully the plaster shell will help. (?) I bought the 2% grade, which I intend to rise to 1-1/2" a little before the bridge. I'm guessing this is sufficient because it's the same height the old Atlas pier set I have rises up. I wouldn't mind going higher. But I don't think there's enough track for it. I really like the simplicity and sturdiness of the Kato track (and what you're doing with it). But I decided to go ahead with the Code 80 because I have a bunch of it from when I tried to start the hobby 10 yrs. ago and using it will free more money for scenery, etc.
I can't find any foam thicker than 3/4" in MS either, so I use two layers of 3/4" glued together. For grades, I cut the strip of roadbed out of the top foam layer and stack (glue) pieces of foam and/or thin wood under to support the grade bed as it rises.
Have you seen the "Terrain for Trains layouts in N-scale? It's a pre-molded in plastic 3'x4' that's super light and durable. Most prices I've seen are around 250.00 or so.
Great idea! I'll have to experiment with that. I hadn't. That's an interesting idea they've got and I can see where it could work for kids as far as ease of setup and durability. But $250? That's a lot.
Looks fine for a youngster. Depending on which brand of track you are using, I would suggest an automatic uncoupler in the siding area so he can have a bit of fun with uncoupling and coupling.
You have a lot of space in the middle. Maybe add one or two more spurs to create a small yard to store rolling stock.
Thanks. I'm using Atlas Code 80. I'm not familiar with such a device but it sounds neat. Can you point me to one? I've thought about doing just that, but wasn't sure if it wouldn't overcomplicate things. I confess, I was thinking about using the space for a small town. My son loves Micromachines, and though they're not exactly N-scale, they're not so far off they wouldn't work on roads in the layout (I'm considering using some old AMI roadbed I have for this). I also took him to a hobby shop where he gravitated to, of all things, an Atlas passenger station kit.
Today I finally started setting the layout up. Looks like I'll be ditching the escape track due to variances in terrain height. Here's a quick pic of how things look with the 2% grade temporarily pinned in. I also moved the siding and gave it a second line. the base is a sheet of 1/2" extruded foam board (all that's available to me here). BTW, I know the turnouts are the ugly ones. They're what I've had in a box for 10 years. Now to figure out how the terrain and scenery are going to go. Any suggestions?
